Cloaked Brothers
|centre]] :“Really? There is a rumour going ‘round that poor Bertram is caught up in a cult? Tell me more, good brother...” ::—Anonymous Cloaked Brother The mysterious Cloaked Brothers are a splinter group of the Templars of Sigmar. Instead of killing and burning, they exist to gather information and spy. They are under no compulsion to kill Mutants or cultists, merely to look, learn, and report to their masters. It's not clear when the Cloaked Brother emerged as an organisation, but their level of penetration into Imperial society suggests they’ve been around for a while. Throughout their existence, they’ve remained hidden and are nothing more than rumour and myth. Cloaked Brothers are hidden agents loosely affiliated with Sigmar's Witch Hunters. Though not a true branch of the Templars, they often have cause to join forces with their, sometimes overzealous, brethren. However, they are just as likely to double cross them as they are with any organisation they deal with. Cloaked Brothers are masters of information. They infiltrate organisations to learn what they can, reporting their findings to their superiors—though who exactly "they" are is unknown. This organisation draws from a vast array of talent, from ex-Witch Hunters to Mutants. Recruitment :“All that stuff about Cloaked Brothers is bunk. Like the Skaven, they don’t exist.” ::—Kleber Reinhard, Witch Hunter The Cloaked Brothers do not exist, and that’s just the way the Cloaked Brothers like it. The vast majority of the Empire has never heard of the Brothers, and the tiny portion that has believes they exist only in beer-fuelled tavern tales. While their structure remains entirely concealed to outsiders, the Cloaked Brothers are in fact a highly ordered fraternity. The organisation only consider candidates for recruitment from among long-standing friends and proven associates who possess knowledge or skills that it values. Cloaked Brothers come from all walks of life, and from both sides of the law. There are only two non-negotiable directives that govern recruitment: The candidate must have experienced firsthand contact or exposure to the Ruinous Powers, and the candidate must be of temperate nature and evidence a personal history that demonstrates caution over zeal, patience over urgency and restraint over indulgence. Recruits are always selected in groups of five to form the standard Cloaked Brother cell. The Cloaked Brother who recruits a new cell becomes its leader. This way, veteran cells that gain too much attention or notoriety can be “retired” from active duty, yet still put their members’ experience to use. The five members of a Cloaked Brother cell will never meet face-to-face. Cell members know the name and occupation of their cell-leader as well as the other members in their cell, but no one else. In theory, this modular command structure should ensure that individual cells are insulated from one another should a breach in security occur. Many Cloaked Brothers are trained in cryptography, and communications with their cell-leader and fellow cell-members are handled through an elaborate code scheme utilising a series of cipher discs. A major limitation to early cryptography was that codes had to be simple enough for recipients to decode without the help of advanced academic knowledge. Famed Tilean scholar, Cosimo Baldacci, offered an innovative solution in 1204, with his invention of the cipher disc. The cipher disc is a device used for encoding and decoding messages through the use of concentric wheels imprinted with alphabetic and numeric characters. The Tilean City States make extensive use of cipher discs to maintain the security of their diplomatic missives; however their use is still limited in other regions. A Cloaked Brother will hide his cipher disc in many places, including inside rings, belt buckles, dagger hilts and even coat buttons. Cipher discs are typically crafted from gold or other soft metals so they can be quickly melted, trampled or otherwise defaced in the event of capture. Storm of Chaos The Cloaked Brothers surfaced during the year leading up to the Storm of Chaos. Having insinuated themselves inside Luthor Huss's Crusade, they fed a steady stream of information about the search for Sigmar reborn, as well as Huss' movements throughout the countryside. After the Storm of Chaos, the Cloaked Brothers faded back into anonymity. Whilst it's presumed they are still active, there has been no known contact with the agents since Valten's disappearance. Source * Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Tome of Corruption (2nd Edition) ** : pg. 126 * : Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Career Compendium (2nd Edition) ** : pg. 51 Category:C Category:B Category:Cult of Sigmar Category:Empire Careers Category:Empire Organisation